Who Killed Matthew Lange? Reward Offered In Naperville Slaying

NAPERVILLE, IL — Nearly six months to the day after a local professor was found shot to death outside a Naperville middle school, a private group is increasing the reward for information leading to an arrest in the death of Matthew Lange. Lange, 37, was found shot to death in his car Jan. 27 as he waited for his 4-year-old son, who was attending Polish school at Scullen Middle School, 2815 Mistflower Lane. Lange was an Oswego resident and an assistant professor of psychology at Lewis University in Romeoville.

Naperville's Crime Stoppers originally offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information in the case. On Wednesday, Naperville police said a group is now offering $45,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person or people behind Lange's murder.

Police said Lange was shot while sitting in his vehicle, a silver 2013 Hyundai Elantra, at around 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and died a short time later. According to the DuPage County Coroner's office, Lange sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

Naperville police are looking for witnesses to the shooting and anyone who has information about Lange and his vehicle on the day of or the days prior to the shooting.

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to please contact the Naperville Police Department at (630) 305-5453 or (630) 420-6006.

Lange was an Aurora native and graduate of West Aurora High School. He was a graduate of Aurora University, received a master's degree from Benedictine University in Lisle in 2005 and a doctorate from Northern Illinois University in 2015.

On the night of the murder, Lange was picking up his son from the Helena Modjeska Polish School, which rents space at Scullen on Friday nights. Lange's father, David Lange, told the Daily Herald that his son's ex-wife had enrolled the boy in the Polish classes, and Matthew Lange would pick his son up there every other Friday. The couple divorced in 2015.

At the time of the shooting, Naperville police told the Chicago Tribune that it was the city's first murder in more than three years. In 2014, Charles Clark was strangled to death in his Naperville apartment. Grant Muren, then 21, was convicted earlier this year of killing Clark on the same day he moved into Clark's apartment.

Matthew Lange/Naperville Police Department